A translucent mission window appeared before Father Anderson’s eyes.
[Random Mission: Eliminate the Cannibal Killers]
[Objective: Destroy the remaining members of the hunting party and rescue any surviving victims.]
[Mission Reward: 3 Points]
[Accept Mission?]
Anderson studied the notification with genuine surprise.
He hadn’t expected a group of human killers—even unusually deformed and powerful ones—to trigger a system mission.
He didn’t accept immediately.
Based on Jessie’s account, the two cannibals he had killed were only part of a larger group.
The others likely had a cabin, hunting camp, or hidden settlement somewhere deep in the forest.
Completing the mission meant leaving the highway and searching unfamiliar terrain in the middle of the night.
The danger didn’t concern him, but spending hours wandering through dense woods sounded extremely inconvenient.
Anderson glanced toward the driver’s side of the disabled Raptor.
All four tires had been punctured, there was no cell signal, and Carly’s injuries couldn’t wait until morning.
Remaining inside the truck would eventually allow the other cannibals to surround them, while walking aimlessly down the highway offered no guarantee of finding help.
The killers’ hideout, however, almost certainly contained a vehicle.
They had transported bodies, weapons, and supplies through these mountains for years.
Even if Anderson didn’t eliminate every member of the family, finding their cabin might give him a way to get Carly to a hospital.
“Accept.”
[Mission Accepted]
[…]
The window disappeared.
“Father, what do we do now?” Jessie asked.
Anderson opened a compartment near the center console and removed a compact semiautomatic pistol.
He checked the magazine and chamber before offering it to her.
“Can you stay here with Carly?
I’ll return as soon as possible.”
Jessie stared at the handgun but didn’t take it.
“You’re leaving us?”
“I need to find the remaining killers, locate their hideout, and get another vehicle.”
Panic appeared in her eyes.
“You can’t go alone.”
Anderson felt the beginning of a headache.
Taking Jessie into the forest meant protecting someone who lacked combat training and couldn’t see properly in the darkness.
Leaving her behind meant trusting two terrified women to defend an obvious target against cannibals who knew the terrain.
Neither option was ideal.
“I’m also going to search for Chris,” Anderson said.
“If he’s still alive, this may be his only chance.”
Jessie’s expression changed immediately.
She took the pistol from his hand.
“I’m coming with you.
I know which direction they took us, and I saw part of their camp before we escaped.”
Anderson raised an eyebrow.
A guide would shorten the search considerably.
He could navigate the wilderness alone, but locating a hidden cabin at night could still take hours.
“Fine, but you follow three rules.”
Jessie straightened.
“First, you obey every instruction immediately.
Second, you go only where I tell you to go.
Third, if I order you to stay still or remain silent, you do it without asking questions.”
She nodded quickly.
“I understand.”
“If you ignore me, I’ll bring you back here and leave alone.”
“I won’t.”
Satisfied, Anderson turned toward Carly.
Although her face remained pale, her eyes were partly open.
She had apparently heard most of the conversation.
“Father,” she whispered, “I’ll wait here.”
Jessie moved closer and took her hand.
A weak smile appeared on Carly’s face.
“I’m okay.
Just come back quickly.
I don’t want to be alone for long.”
Anderson opened his medical kit again.
“I can buy you some time.”
He checked Carly’s pulse, breathing, and bandage before preparing two measured injections from his emergency supplies.
One helped control continued bleeding, while the other reduced pain and limited the physical stress threatening to send her into shock.
The medication couldn’t replace the blood she had already lost, and it wasn’t a substitute for hospital treatment.
However, with the wound compressed and the bleeding slowed, it could keep her stable long enough for Anderson to find transportation.
Carly barely reacted as the needles entered her arm.
When he finished, Anderson checked her condition once more and packed away the syringes.
“That should help, but you still need an emergency room.
If you become dizzy, short of breath, or feel like you’re going to pass out, lie flat and keep your injured leg elevated.”
Carly managed another faint nod.
Anderson looked at the Raptor’s shattered windows and ruined tires.
The truck offered protection, but it was also the first place the cannibals would search after regrouping.
“We need to hide her somewhere nearby.”
Jessie helped Anderson gather a blanket, a flashlight, bottled water, and the remaining first-aid supplies.
Together, they moved Carly toward a large tree several yards from the highway.
Its exposed roots had formed a deep natural hollow between the trunk and the slope behind it.
Thick brush concealed the opening from the road, while the position still remained close enough for them to return quickly.
Anderson spread the blanket inside and carefully lowered Carly into the sheltered space.
He placed water, the medical kit, and the flashlight within her reach before hanging a blessed crucifix from a root above her.
The cross wouldn’t stop a determined human attacker, but Anderson would know if something supernatural approached.
“Stay quiet and keep the light off,” he instructed.
“Only turn it on if you hear my voice.”
Carly looked toward Jessie.
“Be careful.”
Jessie squeezed her hand.
“We’ll come back with Chris.”
After covering the entrance with loose branches, Anderson and Jessie returned to the truck to prepare their equipment.
Jessie had never used a shotgun, so Anderson allowed her to keep the pistol.
He quickly showed her the safety, how to hold it, and how to fire without injuring herself.
“Keep your finger away from the trigger until you’re ready to shoot,” he said.
“Aim at the center of the body.
Don’t try anything complicated.”
Jessie swallowed and held the pistol with both hands.
“What if they don’t stop?”
“Keep firing.”
Anderson retrieved both Winchester Model 1897 shotguns.
He loaded each weapon with solid slugs, then filled his field bag with two additional boxes containing roughly forty rounds.
Carrying two shotguns through the forest wasn’t subtle, but subtlety was no longer important.
One weapon rested in his hands while the second hung from a sling across his back, providing an immediate backup if the first malfunctioned or ran dry.
With that much ammunition, Anderson couldn’t claim to be unstoppable.
Still, very few living creatures could survive a direct hit from a 12-gauge slug.
When his preparations were complete, he noticed Jessie staring at the two mangled bodies on the highway.
Blood, bone, and fragments of flesh covered the pavement beside the disabled Raptor.
Her expression had gone blank.
“Jessie.”
She didn’t respond.
“Let’s move.”
She startled as though waking from a nightmare.
“Right.
Okay.”
Anderson turned toward the direction from which the cannibals had approached and entered the forest.
Jessie hurried after him, feeling considerably safer with the armed priest walking ahead.
The darkness swallowed them almost immediately.
Towering trees crowded together, their branches interlocking high above the ground and blocking what little moonlight reached the mountains.
The forest resembled the open mouth of a gigantic animal, waiting to close behind anyone foolish enough to enter.
Anderson lifted his head.
Beneath the dense canopy, an ordinary person could barely see beyond arm’s length.
Wind moved through the leaves, producing constant whispers and scraping noises.
Every branch sounded like a footstep, and every shifting shadow suggested that someone was following.
“This is going to be inconvenient.”
Anderson passed one hand over his eyes and channeled magic into them.
The darkness immediately became clearer, revealing tree trunks, broken branches, disturbed soil, and faint tracks left by the cannibals.
The environment no longer hindered him.
Jessie was another matter.
He glanced back and found her turning in several directions, trying desperately to recognize something.
She had taken only a few steps from the highway but had already lost her sense of orientation.
“Father,” she whispered, “I can’t see anything.”
Anderson frowned.
Without Jessie’s knowledge of the area, he might spend hours searching.
Yet she couldn’t guide him if she was effectively blind.
He stepped closer and removed a small crucifix from his coat.
“Don’t move.”
Jessie froze as he placed the chain around her neck.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m asking the Lord to lend you eyes that can see through darkness.”
Standing so close to Anderson, Jessie could only make out the broad outline of his body.
His chest appeared like a solid wall in front of her, and the fear caused by the surrounding darkness weakened slightly.
“Father?”
Anderson placed two fingers gently over her closed eyelids.
“Remain still.”
Jessie obeyed.
She didn’t understand what kind of prayer he was preparing, but silence seemed safer than questioning him.
A system notification appeared.
[Temporary Attribute Transfer Available]
[Consume 2 Magic Points to grant the target Enhanced Night Vision?]
The ability was different from enchanting a weapon.
A firearm was an inanimate object, while Jessie was a living person with her own body and spiritual structure.
To grant her enhanced vision, Anderson needed to temporarily allocate part of his magic directly to her.
Those points would remain unavailable until he withdrew the blessing or the effect expired.
Two points were a minor cost.
Searching without a guide would take much longer, and every wasted minute reduced Carly’s and Chris’s chances of survival.
“Yes.”
[2 Magic Points Temporarily Allocated]
Warm energy flowed from Anderson’s fingers into Jessie’s eyes.
She gasped.
The absolute darkness surrounding her began to fade.
Tree trunks emerged from the shadows, followed by branches, rocks, and the uneven ground beneath her feet.
Within seconds, the forest appeared as clear as a dimly lit room.
Jessie opened her eyes fully and stared around in disbelief.
“I can see.”
Anderson removed his hand.
“Good.
Now show me where they took your friends.”
Jessie touched the crucifix hanging against her chest.
Her fear hadn’t disappeared, but it no longer controlled her.
She studied the surrounding trees until she recognized a broken trail descending deeper into the mountains.
“This way.”
Anderson chambered a slug.
Chak-chak.
“Stay behind me.”
Together, they followed the cannibals’ trail into the forest.
End of Chapter 17
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